POLITICAL CHANGE IN THE PROGRESSIVE ERA

Growing cities couldn’t provide people necessary services like garbage collection, safe housing, and police and fire protection. Reformers saw this as an opportunity to expand public health services. Reforming Society

Unlikely President  President William McKinley was shot and killed in 1901, leaving the office to Roosevelt.  At 42 years old he was the youngest president and an avid reformer.

Roosevelt’s View of the Presidency From Governor to Vice President Roosevelt’s rise to governor of New York upset the Republican political machine. To get rid of the progressive Roosevelt, party bosses got him elected as vice president, a position with little power at that time.

View of the Presidency  Roosevelt saw the presidency as a bully pulpit, or a platform to publicize important issues and seek support for his policies on reform.

The Main Idea Theodore Roosevelt used the power of the presidency to push for progressive reforms in business and in environmental policy. Theodore Roosevelt’s Square Deal

The Square Deal  Roosevelt’s Square Deal called for limiting the power of trusts, promoting public health and safety, and improving working conditions.

The Square Deal  The Square Deal became Roosevelt’s 1904 campaign slogan and the framework for his entire presidency.  He promised to “see that each is given a square deal, because he is entitled to no more and should receive no less.”

Improving Housing  Tenement Act of 1901, forced landlords to install lighting in public hallways and to provide at least one toilet for every two families  helped impoverished people  within 15 years the death rates dropped dramatically.

Environmental Conservation Roosevelt’s Solution The Newlands Reclamation Act of allowed federal government to create irrigation projects to make dry lands productive. During Roosevelt’s presidency, 24 reclamation projects were launched. Roosevelt’s Thoughts Recognized that natural resources were limited and that government should regulate resources Wanted to manage public land for varied uses: some for preservation, some so make money

Election Reforms  Progressives wanted fairer elections and to make politicians more accountable to voters.  Some measures Progressives fought for include Direct primary: voters select a party’s candidate for public office 17th Amendment: voters elect their senators directly secret ballot: people vote privately without fear of coercion initiative: allows citizens to propose new laws referendum: allows citizens to vote on a proposed or existing law recall: allows voters to remove an elected official from office

The Main Idea Progressive reforms continued during the Taft and Wilson presidencies, focusing on business, banking, and women’s suffrage. Taft and Wilson

Progressivism under Taft  President Roosevelt didn’t run for a third term, instead supporting William Howard Taft, a friend and advisor who, despite a more cautious view on reform, pledged loyalty to the Roosevelt program.  Upon his election, Taft worked to secure Roosevelt’s reforms rather than build upon them.

16 th Amendment  Taft’s administration is also credited with the passage of the Sixteenth Amendment, created the income tax to pay for government programs.

Trouble in Taft’s Presidency President Taft lost the support of most of the Progressive Republicans, despite the reforms he helped secure. Tariff Trouble In April 1909, Congress passed a bill on tariffs, or taxes charged on import and export goods. Taft signed the Tariff into law. Progressives were outraged because they saw tariff reduction as a way to lower consumer goods prices.

Taft in Trouble  Roosevelt eventually stops supporting Taft

1912 Election  The Republican party nominated President Taft  The Progressives split to form their own party, the New Progressive (“Bull Moose”) Party, with Roosevelt as its candidate.

Democrats win in 1912  With the Republicans split, Democrat Woodrow Wilson easily took the election

Wilson’s New Freedom  Wilson, former governor of New Jersey, was a zealous reformer  During his presidential campaign, Wilson proposed a plan of reform called the New Freedom, which called for  tariff reductions  banking reform  stronger antitrust legislation.

Tariff Reduction  In October 1913, Congress passed the Underwood Tariff Act, which lowered taxes to their lowest level in 50 years.

Low Tariffs…High Taxes…  Tariff reduction=less income for government, so the act also introduced a graduated income tax.  The income tax taxed people according to their income, and wealthy people paid more than poor or middle-class people.

Federal Reserve President Wilson’s next target was the banking system. Bank failures were common, and banks collapsed when too many people withdrew their deposits at the same time. People needed access to their money without fear of bank failure. Wilson’s answer was the 1913 Federal Reserve Act, created a central fund from which banks could borrow to prevent collapse during a financial panic.

Banking Reform The Federal Reserve Act put the nation’s banks under the supervision of the federal government for the first time.

Prohibition  Frances Williard and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and other teetotalers were a political force.  In 1920, the U.S. ratified the 18 th Amendment, prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcohol.

Women’s Suffrage  Led by Susan B Anthony and Alice Paul, the women’s suffrage movement finally gained traction with Progressives after it had been stalled since the Civil War  The 19 th Amendment was ratified in 1920.